Of things Ruined and Destroyed
by RedPanda1
Summary: Tenten and her teammates are on a mission to track down Oriochimaru's hideout when they realize his threat is much deeper than they'd first reckoned. Now she and her fellow survivors will have to fight for their survival in a world ridden with disease and deception. Zombies. Plague. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
1. In the Beginning

It was a cold night, although not entirely dark. There was a full moon high in the heavens, shinning with brilliance on the scene below. Only a few lights light up the surrounding buildings and lined the street. Between the natural and unnatural light it seemed to be evening rather than 11pm. Only the silence betrayed the lateness of the night.

Silent except for the sound of three pair's of footsteps.

A girl with hair tightly pulled up on her head into two distinct buns crouched lower to the rooftop. Tenten watched the three men approaching the building as her breath escaped into the air slowly like white smoke. "Eye's on target" she said quietly. The microphone harnessed around her neck picked up the sound and sent the message to her teammates. The speaker that sat in her ear received a sound of affirmation from her team.

She crawled along the top of the building, kunai held ready in her right hand.

"Wait for them to reach the door." A male voice said. It was Neji. He stood on the other side of the street, behind a barrel and ready to rush out when the time was right.

Her other teammate was behind the door. He would have first contact this way. As long as he kept them from entering, they could corner them on the porch.

She waited for the sound of a handle turning. There. The door squeaked as it opened. A surprised sound, quickly swallowed by a gasping chocked sound. That was it. A dog barked and the door slammed shut as she dropped down from her spot landing just behind the target's left side. Neji flanked them from behind, to the right. Just as planned. She caught sight of her third teammate, no marks, and no scratches. Yes, just as planned.

The men were yelling now, their ring leader was downed, a kunai to the neck. He was still alive; still gasping and sputtering as blood gushed from the deep wound. He wouldn't be alive very long. Kiba always cut deep.

She took the man on the left by surprise. He turned around with a sharp breath, straight into her left fist. Better than planned. She came up with the other hand and caught the back of his neck with her kunai. It wasn't good enough; he dropped to the ground onto his hands and swung his foot up catching her in the gut. She was sent flying upward. She leaned backwards in mid air, landing on her hands, her body falling naturally behind so that she was back on all fours, ready to pounce. She pushed forward and rushed at the man throwing more four more kunai as she did so. Two hit: one on the left shoulder, the other on his thigh. She lunged, grabbing him by the stomach and slamming him to the ground with her body weight. Taking advantage of her position, she wasted no time in slicing his neck.

Neji was just finishing. He was less messy, breaking the man's neck with a final sweep of his fist.

"This was too easy." Neji said, still speaking quietly.

"Agreed," Tenten said, nodding slightly. She looked around, eyes narrowed, expecting an attack.

"They were sick." Kiba observed. "Akamaru could smell it. You could see it in their eyes- they were yellowed and teary."

Tenten remembered when she sat atop the man, looking into his face. The skin on his neck was irritated and red; his face was flushed, his eyes yellow. "I guess we had our work cut out for us."

Neji still looked cautious. "How long have they been sick?" He asked Kiba.

"Akamaru just smelled it today."

"Would he have smelled it in there scent on the way here?"

"Yes." Kiba said, "Especially one this strong. They smelled like they were dying." He wrinkled his nose.

Neji narrowed his eyes, "So they became sick today. That's a fast disease."

They had been tracking these men for three days, waiting for them to reach the Sound base that Konoha had yet to find. The base was only a mile from this place, and since they had led them to it, there was no need to leave them alive. But from the time they left the base until now, these men had developed a disease- a deadly one, evidently.

"Konoha is only a half a day's journey from here, traveling at their pace. Do you think they were headed-" Tenten speculated.

"I do." Neji cut her off. "We need to connect with the other team." He turned around, scanning the area. "If these men were headed to Konoha…there has to be more information. It would be at the base. Let's go back."

"Or should we go back to Konoha and protect it? Or scout the area around the village?" Kiba suggested. "The other team was supposed to infiltrate-"

"They don't know what their looking for" Neji cut him off.

"I'm sure they would find it. These men wasted no time. That base's only function probably has to do with this disease" Tenten argued. She agreed with Kiba, they needed to check the perimeter of Konoha and prohibit any intruders from admittance.

"Konoha has guards" Neji reminded them. "We would be doing a disservice to our village to not go back and gather information. We have to get ahead of the Sound, stop them before whatever their planning can reach its full potential."

Kiba locked his jaw. Neji was right. "Let's go then" He said.

The three of them turned on heel and took off for the hidden Sound base. It only took a few minuets to relocate. The base was disguised in the forest floor, underground. They only knew of one not easily recognized entrance. If it wasn't for Akumaru, they would have wasted much time looking. The forest was dense- full of shrubbery and rock. There rose a high wall of stone, shrouded in vines and moss, marking the edge of the valley they traveled. Rock, both large and small, flooded the ground at the base of the wall. Amidst this field was a small opening framed conveniently by the fallen rock. It was roughly a foot in diameter. Once someone was to climb through the opening, they would find solid ground beneath their feet and a long, dark tunnel.

"Akamaru and I first" Kiba said as Akamaru forced his way in. Kiba sat down, putting his legs through first, and pushed himself through.

Tenten exchanged a glance with Neji. He motioned for her to go next. She was ready to make her descent when she heard Akamaru's low growl. She pushed through quickly, the rock tearing at her skin before she dropped to the dirt. Standing quickly, she rushed to Kiba's side.

"We need to hurry" He said quietly. "Something is definitely not right here."

Neji quickly joined them and they took off running down the dark tunnel to the heart of the base.

Akamaru was whining and scratching at the wall. They had reached the end of the tunnel. A switch was attached to the wall on the left side- it was the way in. Neji pulled the switch down and the wall rose, revealing a large lit up corridor.

All was silent. Even Akamaru. His tail was still. He looked at his master long and hard.

Tenten watched as Kiba breathed out slowly, his chest compressing. "Everyone here is sick." He said in a low voice. "The place reeks of death." He shared a glance with his companion, "and danger"

"Then lets do this fast." Neji said, taking lead. He didn't know his way around, in fact, they had only been as far as the tunnel to see the Sound nin enter, before the turned back.

Tenten gave pause, "What about the other team? Shouldn't they be here?"

Neji turned his face toward her, "Not if they were already in and out."

"But it was their job to gather the information on this place." Tenten said

Neji ignored her and continued through the corridor. "We split up. Tenten you take north. I'll take east. Kiba you go southwest. Search every room. We meet here in 15 minuets."

Tenten took to her hall. Torches lined the walls. There was an office room directly to the left, it shared a window with the corridor. She fiddled with the handle. Locked. Of course. She took a poisoned needle from her bun and, crouching down, inserted the needle into the lock. She took a bobby-pin from her hair and swiveled the lock until she heard the click. Bingo. She turned the handle and went inside. The desks were flooded with folders and papers. She let out a deep breath, not wishing to pour over all of them. She scanned over them, looking for key words. There was nothing all too significant. They were mostly admission files, details tracking who came in and out of the base. She came across one picture that sparked a flame in her heart._ Sasuke_. She felt her face go red, part out of anger, partly for excitement. Naruto and Sakura would be thrilled. She grabbed the file, folded it and stuffed it down her shirt. The other papers were filled with inventory. How many and what kinds of weapons, medicines, and books. Unless she knew what any of these medicines were, she wouldn't understand them. So she left the room and proceeded down the hallway quickly and with stealth.

There were many rooms, but all of them were completely abandoned. She was tempted to let down her guard when she heard the faint sound of footsteps. Her hallway had drawn to a close, turning instead to a T juncture. She calmed her breath and slowly pushed herself to the right wall- the footsteps were drawing close. She reached for her kunai and held it steadily in her left hand. The steps stopped, then quickened. As they got louder, Tenten braced herself and turned her body toward the intercepting hallway. A flash of darkness crashed into her. She felt her wrist being grabbed and thrust upward as she slammed to the ground, the full weight of stranger bearing down on her. His hair tickled her cheeks and suddenly she recognized his smell. Neji.

He grabbed her and rolled to the side, placing them up against the wall. He put a finger to her lips, and in the dim light she could just see his bright eyes piercing hers, telling her to be silent and listen. More footsteps, heavier than Neji's had been. But there was more, a soft, regular patter.

"It's Kiba." She said.

His eyes gave away his shock and annoyance that she would speak in such a dangerous moment when he had told her not to. The steps stopped directly at their hallway.

"This is hardly the time." It was Kiba's voice.

Neji rolled off and got to his feet. "We'll proceed down this hall." He pointed to the left and started walking.

Kiba lingered, mouth stuck in a stupid smile and eyes teasing and he looked to Tenten for answers. He raised an eyebrow.

Tenten shook her head, letting out a small laugh and walked past him.

"What did I just see?" Kiba asked.

She looked at him, "Nothing. You saw nothing." It was irrefutable, she was embarrassed. Her face was hot and a smile was plastered to her lips. There was nothing she could do about it. The situation was both hilarious and embarrassing. Neji with feelings? Let alone sexual feelings? And Neji, embarrassed. That was, in itself, something to smile about. She tried to focus more on how it was embarrassing for him, rather than for her.

Kiba looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a cunning smile on his lips.

"Really" She said. When he was still not convinced she felt the need to explain herself to him. "He ran into me, we collapsed onto the ground. There wasn't time to move so we hid in the corner. That's what happened. You had us threatened."

"Okay" Kiba said, a hint of disbelief in his voice, just to tease. Then he turned serious, "I know it seems deserted, but you were right to keep your guards up. We are not alone here, Akamaru can sense it. The smell of death is in the air, and that same sickness. It's getting stronger as go further down this hall."

They caught up to Neji. "What did you find?" He asked them

Kiba answered, "Bedrooms, restrooms, closets. Nothing of interest, not even a sign of anyone ever having stayed there."

Neji responded, "I found the same. Tenten? What did you see in the office?"

"Documents listing people's comings and goings- who they are, everything about them, and how long they stayed. Also there was inventory on weapons and medication, some books. There were a lot of medications, almost more than there were weapons, it seemed. Other than the office, it was all empty bedrooms. One thing in particular that I found was a file on Sasuke. He was listed to have been here only a few days ago. I took the file."

Neji and Kiba were surprised. "Good, keep that. We'll go over it when we leave here."

"We need to make this fast. Konoha could be in danger. It's empty here for a reason. They could be launching an attack now, and this would have all been for nothing." Tenten said.

"She right" Kiba agreed, searching Neji's face. He was put in charge, they wouldn't disobey.

"I've been thinking. You guys were right, the other team should be here. They should have gotten here shortly after we left. That was probably only 45 minuets ago." Neji stated, his voice held concern. He added silently, "What is going on here?"

They reached the end of the hall, one door on either side. They opened the door on the left first. Florescent lights hung from the ceiling. It was much brighter than they had expected, causing them to squint. A man stood off to one side, he was hunched over and bleeding. Ragged breathing escaped his lips. He turned slowly, his yellow drooping eyes catching sight of them as a low satisfied growl erupted from his vocal cords and he lunged for them.

Tenten wasted no time in flinging the kunai. A dead hit; the kunai sunk straight through his right eye, lodged up to the handle into his skull. She walked over and yanked it out. "He looks like the others, only ten times worse. His skin is all grey, eyes more yellow…and he has black irises" She said as she examined his remaining eye.

"This man's body was acting like he had been dead before he died…" Kiba said, confused, as he kicked the man's leg.

"I can smell the rotting flesh you've been talking about" Tenten agreed, wrinkling her nose.

"This is their doctor's office." Neji said, looking through cabinets.

There was a groan. The three nin turned to face a table on which lay a body covered by a sheet. Tenten walked over, the groaning got louder and the body started moving. She reached for the sheet. The body convulsed and shrieked.

Tenten jumped back and held out her kunai. Noticing the body seemed unable to move, she advanced again. Still holding the kunai in her left hand, she yanked on the sheet with her right, letting it fall to the ground.

It was a disgusting sight. His overweight body was bloated, his skin obviously rotting. It was grey and seemed to be coming off of his body in some places. His bulging eyes were yellow and black. All his nails seemed to have rotted off, and sat in piles next to his hands, which were latched down with chakra-laden chains. There were chains over his legs, his waste, and his neck. He had obviously been fighting them, for his body was laden with lacerations underneath the chains.

It was then that Neji and Kiba noticed the dismembered and mutilated body parts strewn across the room. It had only blended in with the mess of overturned tables and chairs and other miscellaneous objects that had been carelessly thrown all over.

"There was one hell of a fight in here." Kiba said.

"And the loser got eaten." Neji remarked. He was examining what used to be an arm. The flesh was torn from it in most places. He looked up to their recent victim. "What the hell happened here…?"

"Well if he wanted to eat this guy, why didn't he eat that guy?" Kiba asked, motioning to the man on the table.

"Maybe these records will say something." Neji walked over to the file cabinet and started going through them.

The man on the table was glaring at Tenten and convulsing as he tried his best to lift his arms toward her. She moved her kunai above the man's head, ready to thrust it down when she noticed he was raising his head toward it. His mouth was open, his body more active, his growl louder than ever.

"Shut him up, dammit" Neji hissed.

"No, guys look at this." She said

They turned. Neji's annoyance turned to curiosity when he saw how eager the man had become when a kunai was pointed at his face.

"This is far from normal…." Kiba said.

"He's trying to eat my kunai" Tenten marveled.

"No, wait a minuet." The wheels were turning in Neji's mind. "take that away."

Tenten lowered her hand back to her side as Neji moved his own empty hand above the man's face. The same reaction occurred.

"He's trying to eat us." Neji spoke. "Whatever this disease is, it turns people cannibalistic. Finnish him, and help me go through these records." He dropped his hand to his side and returned to the cabinet.

Kiba started scavenging through the papers strewn across the floor as Tenten shoved her kunai deep into the man's skull.

"His skull is abnormally soft" Tenten remarked. Curious, she walked back to the counter and pulled out a box of gloves. Putting on a pair, she returned to the man.

"What, are you a doctor in your spare time?" Kiba teased.

Tenten shot him a look, "I'm curious" she said. She picked up a probe from the ground and poked the man's head with it. She took a scalpel and made a small cut to his forehead. "It's much easier to cut…." She muttered. "And his bone is so much less dense..." she pulled the skin back from around his eyes with her thumb and forefinger, "How can he even see? His eyes are so clouded over. And his lips are eroding…" She knocked at his teeth with the metal probe, expecting them to come loose. The teeth stayed in tack. Confused, she examined the mans gums and pushed on the teeth with the probe. "His mouth is in tack, it looks healthy even. Well…compared to the rest of him. His teeth are strong. They're stronger than the rest of his bones. Tell me that make's no sense." Tenten said concern and confusion written all over her face.

"These files only tell me about random patients. Zedji got the flue. Kamika has a tapeworm. Nothing significant. Nothing leading back to this." He jammed the file to the direction of the body on the table. Exasperated, he slammed the file back into the drawer.

"These papers say all sorts of things. And they obviously are talking about this disease. The only problem is unless you know what the hell CSF, erythrocytes, and the alveolar margins are you won't understand any of it. Every document looks like this. It's making my mind numb." Kiba said. He had collected them all up from the floor and countertops and put them together in one stack less than an inch thick.

Tenten shook her head, "We're going to need to find the others. Sakura would understand what these say."

"Take them with you" Neji commanded Kiba. "We can't waste any more time."

"I did understand one thing I read, it says the disease is fast acting. Of course, we already knew that… But" He searched through the stack and pulled out a notebook, "Here. These are some notes, like the doctor's journal, and it says that patient bit one of his nurses and later she developed the disease. He said it seems to have something to do with bites- like a snake's venom"

Tenten quickly dropped the probe and removed her gloves. She went over to the sink at the counter and washed her hands thoroughly. "I am not catching this disease"

"Why would you touch it?" Kiba asked, disgusted.

"I wanted to learn more about it" She said, "See what we're up against."

Kiba raised the stack of papers and shook them at her, eyebrows raised.

"Why would I read that when I could observe the same information right here?" She said.

"There's more to it than what we've seen. Come on, we have another room to check." Neji spoke, leaving the room and walking to the next door.

"Brace yourselves" Kiba said. He took the handle and turned it. Hesitating, he pushed the door open forcibly.

Dragging sounds and groans. The occasional crash of something tipping over. These sounds traveled to their ears from someplace unknown. Walking forward the could see that they were on a balcony, below was a mess of infected peoples. They dragged themselves along, bumping into anything in their paths, including each other.

"So, they can't see." Tenten remarked. "Don't need to read that in any scientific journal." She said slyly.

"Or they're too dumb to change direction." Kiba countered.

The balcony stuck to the sides of the room, leaving a large square gap for viewing the floor below. There were three rooms. One door on each wall. On the far side a large sign read 'Weaponry'. To the right was a large glass window stretching almost the length of the wall that revealed a library, complete with tables. The door on the left was less revealing.

"I'll take the weaponry" Tenten offered.

"I'll go left. Kiba, take right." Neji said.

Kiba sighed as he turned to the library.

The weaponry was probably the largest she had ever been in. There were a whole mess of weapons she hadn't ever even seen before. Her excitement rose as she examined the ensemble of exotic devices. Each section had a sign. "Weapons specially designed to combat certain enemies…" She whispered to herself as she read the sign above weapons seemingly for more close range attacks. She turned the corner to find one peculiar sign. "Infected" She read aloud, "Infected with what?" The weapons where mostly blunt, with the exception of some long range throwing spears and knives. She ran her hand cautiously along a thick, jagged metallic mallet. "Wouldn't want to get hit with this…this could smash anything…it's like it's for preparing a steak" Tenten quietly thought aloud. She lifted it expecting a heavy weight, but finding it pleasantly light enough. She twirled it around, feeling it out, when she heard ragged breathing advancing from behind her. She spun around, raising the mallet before her.

A nasty, brawny sick looking man limped toward her. His mouth was gapping as he let out a hungry rumble. His eyes seemed to lock onto hers, and in that moment he suddenly leapt forward, hands out stretched, and a loud howl escaping his lungs.

Tenten didn't think, only drew her mallet back and swung it hard just in time to collide with his head. He collided with the wall, causing multiple weapons to fall in calamity around them. After the last cling of metal dissipated into the air, silence rang like a cymbal. That's when she realized she had stopped breathing, and so had the hungry male. She exhaled fully and bent to examine her damage.

A mess of weapons lay atop the body, soaking in the bloodbath surrounding his head. His head had gone concave in contact with her mallet.

The sight was more than she needed to see. Standing up with one last glance at the 'Infected' section of weapons, she realized what they had meant by the sign. These were weapons designed to take out the infected. She grabbed a few throwing more throwing knives, a machete, a metallic bat, and a powerful bow with many arrows. Then she took a knapsack, a large backpack, and a handy strap for carrying her new favorite weapon. She turned and took her leave.

As she exited the Weaponry her eyes caught Kiba sitting at a desk behind the glass wall of the Library pouring over books. Figuring he could use some help and Neji probably had a handle on whatever was in his room, Tenten followed her gaze. She smiled as she walked in, noting the look of concentration on his face. He didn't look up as she approached him. "Interesting book?" She asked, pulling up a chair.

Kiba flinched, his head snapping up, "I didn't even know you were there" He said.

"Really, I thought you were just ignoring me." Tenten laughed, although she didn't quite see it as a laughing matter. Images of the man from the Weaponry flashed before her. "What's so important that you let your guard down?" Tenten asked, gazing intently at her teammate.

"There was no need to have my guard up, this place is empty." Kiba retorted. He slammed his hand down on the table and stood up, knocking down his chair. His arms crossed as he strode over to the window to glare at the sick wanderers down below.

"It's not empty. You can see that for yourself. And I was just attacked in the weaponry." Tenten said hotly.

Kiba made no movement.

Tenten thought better than to ask him what was wrong or what he had been reading. She figured he would say now or she could ask him later. She reached across the table and pulled the book toward her. Turning it around, she picked it up to look at the cover. 'A History of Destruction' was the title, and the back listed a number of wars. She flipped backed to the page Kiba had been reading. She scanned the page, one word popped out 'Inuzuka'. Reading the paragraph she realized Inuzuka Isamu had been a leading figure in the attempt to subdue the Kyuubi during the Third Shinobi World War.

"He was my father. He died that day. No one ever told me what had happen, only that he died a hero. No one ever told me I had an older brother who died that day as well." Kiba still had his arms crossed, but his head had turned toward her to see her reading his book. He shifted to face her.

Tenten hadn't read about his brother, but she couldn't look away from Kiba's teary eyes. The unexpected turn of events caught her off guard. This had nothing to do with the mission.

"Isamu was the leader of a team of shinobi working to subdue the Kyuubi. His was the only plan that worked well enough for them to even get close. His plan is outlined there." He pointed at the book. "He was genius. He was a hero. And it was all for nothing, because the plan didn't even work." His voice cracked and his face betrayed the struggle he was having against his tears. "And my brother… he was ten. And he thought he could help. Instead he got my father and himself killed. For nothing, Tenten. Maybe they could have succeeded… or at least he could have gotten away… And I never met either of them." He sighed, getting over his slew of emotions.

Tenten was struck. She really had no idea how to deal with the situation. Both of her teammates back home were so emotionless, no. One only had exciting emotion, and the other was emotionless. But she now understood why he didn't notice her approach. He was caught up in his family's past.

"Sorry." He muttered, walking toward her. He took the book from her hands and walked it back to its isle. On his return he said, "I found a section of journals." Sitting down he pushed one toward her. "Some depict areas where the Akatski have hideouts, or did have hideouts. Some talk deal completely with the tailed demons. This one," he tapped his finger on one of the journals to his right, "Is a map of all of these hideouts- Oroshimaru's secret labs of sickness- and a brief description what each of their functions are. This one happens to be the one of the only base that would store this kind of information, because obviously they don't want a book like this to be found. So there's only three bases like this, and they're all in the fire country. This one was the only research facility. One was for injections. The other…"

Tenten stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Kiba swallowed. "Well, I'm not sure you can call it a base. It was more of a… pooling point. He built tunnels from the two bases, and they lead into the third. That third base happens to be centered in Konoha."

Tenten caught her breath. Her heart started racing. "We need to get there." She let her head fall into her hands as she thought to herself, 'calm down. Think.' "Were there any other details? Like plans on when this all would go down?"

"I think it's safe to say it already has gone down." Kiba said. He got up and looked out the window again. "Here comes Neji." He said, seeing Neji slam the door shut across the balcony and stride his way toward them.

"So this is it? This is all you found here." Tenten said, wanting to make sure they were done before Neji entered.

"That's the only document that matters for the mission." Kiba replied.

Neji entered with a stack of papers in his hand. He slammed them on the table behind Tenten and laid them out. They were diagrams of the human body, both anatomical and of chakra pathways. "This is research on the human body." Neji said, anger and disgust were evident in his tone. He met Tenten's eyes. "Now, look here. This," He pointed to one diagram, "This is a normal, healthy male body" He said with condescension and frustration, although Tenten could tell his condescending town was not meant for her, but whoever had made these diagrams. "This," His hand slammed down on the next diagram. "Is what happens when you inject the body with harmful toxins produced by synthetic contagions with no known antibody. And this" He pointed to the third diagram, "Is what happens when the antigen grows inside the human body. Notice how the entire thing is degrading. The disease is literally eating away at body and altering the chemical makeup of the brain more and more. Compare these diagrams of the brain. Notice the chemical makeup and the parts that are highlighted. This part of the brain highlights when a person is hungry."

"It grows in each one." Kiba noticed.

"Exactly, and it's not because the person is experiencing other outside stimuli that are highlighting other unrelated parts. No, the brain is becoming altered so that other functions are being shut off and reprogrammed. Notice that the frontal lobe is completely inactive. The infected person can not think and no longer has their personality. In fact, you can see where the disease has actually started decomposing that portion of the brain.  
They synthesize this contagion so intelligently that they figured out how to dehumanize people. These things are no longer people."

"Just because they can't think doesn't make them not people!" Tenten exclaimed, "Sakura's grandmother is a vegetable, she can't think or move or do anything but she's still alive and she's still a person!"

Neji closed his eyes and let out a exhasported breath, "This is different, Tenten." He said slowly. "These are reprogrammed brains, and they can't be programmed back. The frontal lobe is gone. The Wernicki's Area and the Broca's Area, here" He pointed to two small sections of the brain, "No longer functions, he doesn't understand speech and he can't use it. The only thing this brain can do is fuel the need to eat; it feels hunger and it satisfy's hunger. He can see, but he can't understand what he sees. He can only smell blood and pinpoint where that blood comes from. He can't taste. He can't feel pain or emotion. There's no recognition inside them. There's nothing in there" He pointed to Tenten's head, "that connects them to who they were before. And since this thing was synthesized by these people who are no longer alive but were attacked by their own creation, there's no cure."

Tenten gave up, "How does it spread."

"Blood, apparently," Neji answered. "Or bites. I'm assuming it's in the blood. Each person who has been bitten has died and come back as one of these invalids. I can't imagine it has anything to do with venom in the teeth. The diagrams of teeth don't show anything of the sort."

"Maybe the disease hibernates there or something, that's where it has it's disease babies." Kiba offered.

"It's possible." Neji said. "The only thing that seems to stay sturdy in them is their teeth and their jaws. Everything else softens because the body really can't survive only on human flesh."

"So all they crave is people?" Kiba said. "Or is it meat in general?"

"They made them to desire people, but the study hasn't tested on animals."

"Ah. At least they had some ethics there." Kiba said dryly.

Tenten smiled slightly and gave Kiba a look. It was so refreshing to have him there instead of her teammate Lee. His comic relief was so much less annoying.

While Kiba shared with Neji the journal he had found, Tenten explored the library. Coming around the bookcases she came to the far left corner of the room. One book caught her eye, it was black with silver writing that read 'Open'. Reaching she pulled on it, only to have the entire shelf shift to her left. "Classic" She whispered.

"Oh thank God!" A voice called from the darkness beyond.

Startled, Tenten jumped back, kunai out and ready before her. A millisecond later she realized that she recognized the voice, but on not seeing a familiar figure, she kept her stance.

Emerging from the darkness was Sakura. "They can't climb stairs" She said in an exhausted but relieved sigh. "Where are the others?" She asked, her eyes searching.

The bookcase rolled back into place on its own.

Tenten relaxed her kunai, but kept her eyes fixed on Sakura. "I was going to ask you the same question. Where are Shikamaru and Naruto?"

Sakura's lips parted, she blinked and closed her mouth, locking her jaw. "You haven't seen them?"

"Tenten, let's go!" Neji called.

"I found Sakura." She yelled back, still gazing at her friend. "Why where you locked in the bookcase?" Something just wasn't right. Naruto would never leave Sakura, or anyone for that matter.

Sakura looked around. "A library? We never even saw this… This must be a whole different side of the base…" She shook her head, "I didn't know this was a book case. I found a secret passage behind a curtain."

Neji and Kiba arrived to listen to Sakura's tale.

"It's all dark down there, I couldn't see anything. Well, I was afraid, so I didn't exactly try to explore, I took a left and kept running until I ran into these stairs. I climbed them and stayed here. It's the strangest thing, stairs leading to nowhere, but I didn't really dwell on it until now. I've probably only been there an hour. I guess it makes sense that you guys haven't run into us. We were on different sides that must only connect through here. You can't imagine how glad I am to see you. Are there any….infected…up here?"

"Not any more." Tenten said.

Sakura's eyebrows narrowed in slight confusion.

"There weren't that many of them. Most of them seem to be below us." Neji pointed his thumb over his shoulder toward the balcony.

"Wait, maybe that's were I came from. Maybe we can see Naruto and Shika from there." Sakura rushed to the window and the others followed. She found the door and ran to the balcony edge, her eyes searching.

Tenten walked up to her to see her friends face fall.

Sakura shook her head. "I never saw this part. We have to go back. We have to find them."

"How overrun was this place you came from?" Neji wondered. "Because we have all the information we need, and it's enough to warrant immediate action."

Sakura's face was set; her eye's radiated her unyielding determination.

"Sakura, our village is under attack by these monsters." Neji explained.

Her face fell yet again and her mouth opened. She swallowed. "Then two of you go, but please, someone come with me. We can't leave them. Naruto would never leave me, or you."

"For the sake of the village, Naruto would leave us, but maybe not you. I don't know, but what I do know is that because I have this knowledge I have a responsibility to act on it. If the village hasn't been attacked, then we need to warn it. If it has, then we should be there helping them fight."

"Our greatest strategist and most zealous fighter are down there fighting for there lives and they don't stand a chance without us. The village does, because we're only 4 people. And 6 people is better than 4 anyway. Yes, we could make a big difference there, but you can't ignore the fact that those two are great assets and we need them." Sakura argued. "neither one of them would leave you. Don't you remember the search for Saskue? How torn up Shik-"

"Fine." Neji said. "We look for them. We have a half hour. Let's go." He turned on his heel and threw the door to the library open, making a b line for the back of the room.

Sakura smiled brightly as she watched him go, and followed hotly on his trail, the others close behind.

Upon reaching the bookcase, Tenten stretched out her hand and pulled on the black book. The case slid open. "There's no way back" She said. "Sakura, you can get us out of here, right?"

"We'll figure it out." Kiba said, as the case shut behind them.

"Sure hope so." Tenten muttered as they descended the stairway.

"Don't speak, they're attracted to sound." Sakura whispered.

Sakura did not exaggerate the darkness, or her fear. Growls and moans echoed throughout the hall. Scratching, pounding, and dragging sounds permeated through the air like smoke. Tenten kept her hand on the wall, making sure they didn't miss any hallways. Her other hand was on Sakura's backpack- the same one she had actually taken from the weaponry. She had given Sakura the bat, as well. The mallet she had decided to give to Neji, considering his gentle fist would be useless. The machete went to Kiba. That left her with the bow that she carried on her back with a sling. She figured she'd be the best with it anyway. The throwing knives and the knapsack were kept in the backpack Sakura wore.

There was a soft thump and a grunt as Sakura ran into a wall. "I guess that's all there was to this place" She whispered. "To the right" She directed. Feeling around on the wall she found crack in the wall. Following it down with her fingers she landed on a small indent. She pushed it to the side, a section of the wall followed, leaving a small hole. Light flooded into their cavern and they could see they were behind a large tapestry.


	2. Rescue Mission?

Sorry last chapter was so long. I'll try to keep them to a manageable size from here on out. Haha

I suppose I need a disclaimer in here? So then.. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Right on. Let's get to it.

* * *

Tenten's breathing was ragged. She could hear everything: the moans, the growls, the thumps and dragging feet. At the same time all she could focus on was the sound of her beating heart. It was too loud. It was too fast. They could hear it. They could smell it… her blood rushing through her veins and arteries like a tsunami. A river of drink for their all too thirsty appetites.

All she knew was that she didn't want to become one. She didn't want to stop being herself… to disintegrate into a flesh eating, inhuman, decomposing monster. And she certainly didn't want to be eaten. It's one thing to dodge a weapon… it's another to dodge a mouth.

'It's getting to me. They're getting to me' She thought. She knew she was getting carried away by fear- by the unexpected. 'I was always taught to expect the unexpected' she thought sardonically, 'who could have expected this? What am I supposed to do?' She felt her heart race more as her thoughts turned to panic. "Stop." She whispered, taking a slow deep breath. "Think." She closed her eyes, and for a moment she felt panic rise in her, worrying that closing her eyes would allow them admittance into her hideout.

They had entered the hall from behind the tapestry. Everywhere was dark. Dim lights lit up certain halls. They'd split into two groups: Sakura and Kiba, She and Neji. Sakura's group left, her group right. They passed hallways and checked rooms….and then they were surrounded. Out of nowhere. She remembered hearing herself screaming and yelling at Neji… She could still hear his voice… yelling. He never yelled… She heard him scream her name.. and 'Run! Get out of here!'. That was last she heard of him. She caught glimpses of him in her memory…his long hair. She could only see him out of the corner of her eye, but she really paid no attention. She was too caught up in her own battle. They were too close to her. The smell was overpowering. Their skin…

Her eyes flew open. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't leave without him. She'd abandoned Neji. Or had he abandoned her? One side of her knew it was all lost. Everyone had died. She was the only one left. She knew it.

She didn't know it. Sakura had survived…and Tenten herself had just found this closet. But hiding places could never be permanent. They don't get you out. She took one final breath, unsure of her plan, but knowing that hiding out would get her nowhere.

With a trembling hand she took out her kunai (Why didn't she have anything bigger?) and slowly reached for the closet handle. Placing her ear on door she listened. No sound but her heart. She felt like her whole body was moving to the beat. It was frustratingly distracting. She turned the handle and pushed. The door crept open without a sound. She took a cautious step forward and, checking her surroundings, continued on. Impatience tried constantly to get the best of her. Her body screamed for her to run, but she walked slowly, quietly, and kept her breathing in check. She was lost. Running would only lead her to panic and become more lost.

* * *

He had been here over an hour. Sakura and Naruto were lost. Or he was lost. He lost them. They were all lost. But all was not lost. He didn't know how to get out. He didn't know what these things were; only they used to be people. He reasoned it was a disease of sorts, since this whole based seemed to be a hospital or maybe even a science lab, and everyone- the doctors and the patients (or subjects) - was infected. And the infection was particularly peculiar. They had eaten each other- that he could from the bite marks and blood on their mouths- it was everywhere really, there had been quite a struggle. But the interesting thing was that they didn't eat each other now. They wanted fresh meat. Uninfected meat. His meat. And Sakura and Naruto's.

Of course, that wasn't going to fly with him. After they had all been separated he had spent some time searching for them. That proved difficult with all the diseased hoards crowding the hallways. More than once he had found himself in a pickle.

The worst was when they grabbed him. They always seemed to corner him. The smells and the sounds got meshed together; it was hard to tell where they were coming from. It was easy for them to sneak up on him… and they didn't have chakra signatures. If one was by itself, he could handle it. But they were almost never alone. Fortunately his shadow jutsu proved to be quite handy when he found himself surrounded. Despite the darkly lit halls, there was still light enough for shadow work.

The masses were so dense and he found himself in so many close calls he was finding himself thinking only along one line. Sakura and Naruto were probably infected. Or they got out. No matter what, something needed to be done to about these…he didn't want to call them people. They needed to be exterminated. He had plan.

Concentrating his chakra at his feet he crept further along the ceiling. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out an explosive tag and stuck it to the wall. He did this every hundred meters, but who was counting? He only hoped his plan would work.

* * *

A kunai zipped by her face, she felt a sting as warm began to blood pool on her cheek. "Hey!" Tenten hissed. "It's me" She had no idea who had thrown the weapon. She only assumed, and hoped to God, that it was someone who could identify her when she said 'me'. She didn't want to have to deal with two enemies. Her eyes widened at the thought of the Infected wielding kunai…

Footsteps were rushing toward her. She got out her own kunai and readied herself.

A growl behind her. She turned quickly just as the it shrieked and rushed toward her. She slashed the air and the growling figure lunged on her, knocking the two of them to the ground. She struggled against it's writhing form, a hand on it's neck. It was trying so desperately to dig it's dirty teeth in. She couldn't get a grip on her kunai. Her other hand wasn't strong enough to keep its hold. The teeth were closing in, she turned her face away and closed her eyes. She wasn't giving in; she struggled.

The footsteps were closing in.

Then, suddenly the weight was off her. She rolled to her feet and backed to the wall, finally able to grip her kunai- one in each hand. "Naruto" She breathed in recognition as she watched the blond haired boy stick a kunai through the Infected's head. "Naruto" She said again. Her relief was immense. She almost collapsed to the floor, but let her hands fall to her sides instead.

He turned to her. "Tenten!" rushing to her with his hands outstretched, they embraced. "I was beginning to wonder if I would see anyone alive again. These people, it's like they're dead. I mean, they smell dead, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know" She didn't care what he said. She was glad her friend was alive and with her.

"What are you doing here? Who else is here? Where are they?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. I don't know. We're here to find you. Where's Shikamaru? These things are going to destroy Konoha, we have to get out of here." She wasn't thinking about the words she was saying. Her brain was blank and her body was energized.

"I don't know where he is. Honestly, I want nothing more than to get out of here. But we can't leave without the others. Who else is here?"

"It was a mistake to split up. Neji, Kiba, Sakura, but I don't know where they are. We split up to find you two, but that was a mistake obviously."

"Sh." Naruto placed his hand up to her mouth.

She grabbed it and spun around, so they were back to back. Her heart raced, her kunai was in place. She saw about a dozen of the Infected walking toward her.

"We're surrounded" He said.

"This way!" She pulled him to her left and they ran together down an adjacent hall. The Infected's shrieks grew loud as their dinner eluded them. They lurched after the two ninja, following at a quicker rate, tripping over one another and throwing themselves off balance. Nevertheless, they made ground. They kept their eyes on their targets.

"Come on." Naruto said, tugging her down another corridor.

There was a scream. Naruto stopped. A dog was barking, its growls conflicting with those of the previously human race.

"KIBA!" a horrifying note hung in the air. A melody of terror accentuating the very reality of their situation. That they were vulnerable, and their lives so very fragile…

"SAKURA!" Naruto bellowed, taking off and dragging a willing Tenten with him. Time accelerated. Everything around them seemed to accelerate. Even the enemy.

But they couldn't seem to get there fast enough.

They were running toward Infected now, even passing some. One latched onto Tenten's arm. Giving her whiplash as her momentum went forward, along with Naruto, and the Infected pulled her back. It wasted no time in trying for a taste. Her anger and concern for her friends kept her in check. She was focused. Thinking only of Kiba, she let go of Naruto and sent her fist flying straight into its face. No one was dying down here or becoming dehumanized. They were all too important.

Naruto hadn't waited for her. She tried not to blame him, and rushed after him, dodging the hands that reached out, grasping at her arms. She kept her eyes on Naruto's bright form. They were closing in behind her, and those in front of her were beginning to find interest in her. Pooling her chakra in her feet she jumped up, running along the side wall surpassing many heads, before landing back on the ground, and sprinting onward.

'Please don't be dead' She thought, her nervousness only made her run faster, and dodge more easily. She came upon Naruto soon enough, just in time for them to round the corner on the scene of a hoard of Infected. Tenten could just barely see a spot of pink among the masses.

Hands grabbed around her waste and tugged on her arms. She felt hair brush the right side of her face and she yelped, jumping away- only to find herself colliding with more bodies.

Yet, she couldn't think of herself- only Sakura's terrified scream: _'KIBA!'_. She her eye's searched frantically as she shoved dying bodies off of her, using her kunai to stab those in front of her.

"Watch yourself" Someone said, taking down an Infected behind her.

She spun around, Kiba's rigid, blood splattered face appeared before her. Her breath caught in her lungs for a second and she smiled. Turning, each of them continued their battles back to back.

"We can't stay like this. They're just going to keep coming. There were too many following after me and Naruto, they'll only add to this. We have to get out of her." Tenten said, twirling around to deliver a swift kick to the head of one Infected, knocking it back into another.

"I know." Kiba growled, chopping another's head in half with his machete. "Where's Neji?" His eyes scanned the area, not like there was much they could see past the gathering around them.

Tenten didn't reply. The stinking masses were closing in on them. They were in constant danger of being bitten. They were so close she couldn't seem to get a solid hit on any of them, but just pushed them back a little. Her skin was brushing with their skin. Their breath was teasing her neck. She yelled in frustration.

Suddenly the ground beneath their feet was shaking. The Infected were falling on her. She steadied herself by directing chakra to her feet and continued shoving the living corpses away from her.

"What's happening?" Tenten heard Naruto yell.

She was relieved he was still alive, and sought for Sakura for a second before detaining the thing that just latched onto her leg. She stomped on its head, losing her balance she tackled another to the ground and stabbed its brain. A hand picked her up- Kiba raising her to her feet to fight beside him. "Thanks" She said, turning to fight.

The rumbling continued and the shaking got worse. Suddenly hall she and Naruto had come from collapsed in on itself, burying the Infected coming from there in a pile of rubble. Her eyes widened, after sharing a glance with Kiba, she said, "run". And they turned on heel, the wall beside them blew in just as they turned to trample over the Infected.

"GO!" Kiba yelled, shoving Infected out of his way as he and Tenten ran toward Sakura and Naruto.

The ceiling was falling, the walls were blowing in. Rubble flew in all directions, knocking Infected in the head and smashing into them as they stumbled forward. A piece of brick smashed into Naruto's side, sending him into a flesh-eater. Others took advantage of the situation, dragging Naruto down. As he ran by, Kiba took hold of his shirt and tugged him up. Naruto's feet collided with the floor and he picked up the pace. "Thanks" He said.

"RIGHT!" They heard Sakura yell from somewhere up ahead.

The debris made it difficult to see, they pressed on tripping over and being bombarded with rock. Thankfully, the Infected couldn't steady themselves enough to move along a shaking platform. It didn't stop them, however, from grabbing the team's feet as they ran by. They almost missed the hallway to the right Sakura had directed them toward. Naruto stopped short, grabbing Kiba's arm, who grabbed Tenten, and they switched direction.

The hallway was mostly unaffected by the quake. Sakura was waiting for them. "This might be a way out." Sakura said. "Come on."

She was right. The hall was short. The door at the end was heavy and lead to a grassy downward slope. Naruto brought up the rear, shutting the door behind them, which on the outside was covered with grass to conceal it. "What the hell happened in there?" He asked, sitting down.

"Get up." Kiba said. "We have to go to Konoha. Those things are probably there, infecting everyone."

Naruto looked at him with a blank expression. He shook his head. "I guess I just thought that was an isolated event…"

"How…? I mean, it looks like things got uncontrollable down there. I don't think the base was meant to be overrun." Sakura said.

"We found files. Kiba found a book; it mapped out a tunnel that leads from this base to Konoha. Those things have probably already traveled there." Tenten argued.

"There was another base too. They might have had more control there." Kiba added.

Sakura eyed the ground, "I just don't want to face them again."

They were silent. Tenten was surprised she had even made it out alive. She remembered hiding in the closet, unwilling to leave at first. "But we have to do something."

"I know. It's more than just a duty. My family is there… and our friends. Selfishly, I'm just not ready." Sakura expounded.

"Where's Akamaru?" Naruto's quiet voice suddenly raised the question.

They all looked at Kiba, Sakura's hand touched his shoulder. His eyes were downcast; his shoulders slumped. He remained silent.

Sakura shook her head. Akamaru didn't make it through the hoard.

"It wasn't a place for a dog." He mumbled.

"And Neji? Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"We can't go back in." Tenten said.

Naruto glared at her.

"She's right. The whole place collapsed in on itself. They….they wouldn't have made it. Or even if they did, we can't get in- this hall is closed off." Kiba defended, gesturing behind Naruto.

"I know." He said looking down. "It just sounded so cold hearted." He said, looking up at Tenten.

She opened her mouth and then closed it, feeling somewhat ashamed at how quickly she shot down a rescue plan, before it was even really mentioned. "It's not that I don't want to rescue them. It's just that we can't. And knowing the two of them, they probably already made it out." She tried not to think of the hoard that trapped her and Neji. The last time she saw or heard him he was surrounded….

But of course he made it out. If she did, then he did- and he did it ten times as well as she.

"They're both smart and capable ninja. They're fine." Tenten said determinedly, looking Naruto straight in eye.

"You believe that?" Naruto asked.

"Do you not?" She countered.

* * *

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Do you love it? Hate it?

I feel sad about Akamaru, but there was just no way he'd make it. And I kept forgetting to write him in anyway…


	3. Meanwhile in Konoha

There is no better time to take a shower than in the middle of the day. In the morning she gets all the housework and the yard work done, then she prepares lunch, then she showers just in time to go out and enjoy herself. She'll come home just in time for her husband to arrive, and they'll have a grand ol' time together. This is her routine everyday. It's wonderful. She was living her dream.

It was a clear, warm day. The sun was shinning through the small window nestled up against the bathroom ceiling. She didn't need to keep the light on, it would be a waste of electricity. Yoko turned on the faucet, letting the hot water spray over her body. She closed her eyes, letting herself relax as she reflected on all she had in story for the day. She was going to buy some flowers from that shop the Yamanaka's owned. Her husband loved having flowers in the house.

Her ears perked. She heard a sound just now. But she had to have imagined it. She was the only one home. They were going to buy a cat, but as of now they had no pets.

There it was again. Footsteps. And not a steady kind- the rhythm was off. The person had a limp. 'What kind of person breaks into a house if they're injured?' Yoko wondered. She wasn't a screamer and she liked to think that she was brave. She also liked to think that she was imagining the whole thing…because truth be told, limp or no limp, she was terrified out of her mind. Someone was in her house without her foreknowledge- that was never a good thing.

A loud thump sounded through the wall behind her. She yelped, jumping back away from the faucet. Her bravery sunk within her. How could she ever think she could be brave? She was just a housewife, after all. Her eyes grew wide as the thudding of the limping intruder continued on the wall across from her…and then dragged across it closing the distance between itself and the door.

Her eyes grew wide, her muscles tensed and paralyzed her, leaving her motionless in the far corner of her shower. Naked and vulnerable.

She regained her senses a moment too late. Just as the door open she had begun to move. But then she laid eyes on her intruder and became re-paralyzed all over again.

His eyes were not the first thing she noticed. It was his skin. Yellow and red...covered in blood. His lips looked as if they'd been violently ripped from his face. A chunk was missing from his shoulder.

He groaned.

Yoko let out a scream.

He leapt toward her, slamming into the glass pane that separated them. In the same moment Yoko found herself flat against the shower wall as the deformed man clawed at the glass, nasty sounds emanating from his throat. He slammed his body up against the glass, over and over and over. The glass began to crack. So was his body. Blood stained the pane.

Yoko whimpered. Tears gushed out of her eyes, mixing with the shower water. With every collision the monstrosity made, she heard herself let out a scream. As hysteria took over she screamed as loud as she could, "SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE! YOSHIO!" she prayed for her husband to save her.

The man became more active with her cry to help. He too raised the sounds of his hunger and raged all the more. With one final ram into the cheap shower glass, it shattered. Glass slashed Yoko's skin. She screamed. The last thing she comprehended was the yellow and black lifeless eyes of her intruder before he latched onto her shoulders and aimed his teeth to her neck, tearing into her skin.

* * *

I'd love feedback. What do you want to see more of, less of? Reviews are much appreciated.

Thank you, Zin, for your wonderful comments. They're certainly encouraging:)


	4. Don't Lose Heart

Darkness began to give way to dawn and light shown through the clouds to fill the earth as the nin transgressed through the forest.

Everything was loud in their ears- their feet scrapping over branch after branch, their sharp and heavy breaths…..but all else was quiet. It was a deception of beauty- of calm. While the surface of the earth and the depths of the heavens roared their silent glory, below them havoc was being unleashed… their only hope was that the havoc stayed quarantined there and had not reached their homeland.

Tenten knew it was one of those mornings that were simply too calm… the daylight was too beautiful, something terrible was about to be unleashed before them. This was not their lucky day. This was not a successful mission. This was the beginning of perpetual unrest.

Naruto came to a halt before her. She took one final leap and landed beside him, gazing out on the scene before them. Her ears began to pick up the sounds that Kiba's had no doubt deciphered long ago. They were not the sounds of business, laughter, and small talk. Instead, screams that should have been harmless children's play were transformed into screams of terror. Confusion permeated the town. People were running, shoving each other and being grabbed by undead monsters. Bodies lay strewn across the ground like pieces of hay. Mothers reached out for their children. Shinobi were yelling over each other, commanding citizens of Konoha one way, nin another way… but no one was listening, they were all in a panic.

Sakura spoke, her voice trembling and soft "Of course he would plan this at a time of peace….when we least expect it."

"We're too late." Kiba said.

"There's no such thing as too late." Naruto growled darkly. He leapt off the branch and began running for the gates.

The group followed, despite their lack of direction.

Catching up to Naruto, Tenten asked, "So what exactly is the plan here?"

"Save lives, slay bitches" Naruto said, scaling a tree whose branch extended over Konoha's great wall.

Tenten sighed, exasperated, as she climbed the tree behind him. "We need a plan!" She yelled after him, but he continued to run on down the trunk. "We can't just go in this blind or we won't be of any help!" She continued, but he wasn't listening.

Naruto jumped down from the tree. He broke his landing by ducking into a roll upon hitting the ground. Then he was up and running toward the Infected.

She crash landed behind him, twisting her ankle as she toppled to the ground. Finding her way to her feet, she latched on to the only Infected immediately near by. Swinging her arm around its neck, she pulled out a kunai with her other hand. She bore her weight down on its neck, forcing its head into her kunai. When the body went limp she let go and it collapsed on the ground.

Her eyes rose to find Naruto passionately attacking the intruders. His mouth was tight, his eyebrows narrowed, his shoulders tense. She saw menace display itself through his entire being, and felt shame. She had to admit her feelings resonated more with what Kiba had said- it was hopeless. Yet here he was; fighting like the day was stretched out before him solely for his success. Like good would always win out against evil.

And here she stood, shameful in her lack of faith. Taking a deep breath, she let his passion permeate in and fill her. She shifted her vision to a couple of Infected walking toward her and took out her scroll, and selected a flail. She started it spinning as the Infected hobbled closer. Their dirty eyes locked on to her and they bolted forward. Taken aback by the sudden change of pace, she swung and missed.

A hand grabbed her butt. She swung around, in anger and frustration, only to land her eyes on a child of no more than 6 years old.

Time froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Her immediate thought fear for his life…but she saw his eyes. _Its_ eyes. No, she couldn't think of him as a little child.

A hand caught her by the shoulder and the child growled, taking hold of her leg. She screamed as the other infected took her left arm.

She was surrounded. She had let down her guard. She flailed and screamed, gathering the attention of more infected, but she had no idea. She couldn't think. Her foot came in contact with the infected child's face. She felt warm breath on her neck, but was unable to accept this as her fate. She crouched and yanked herself forward, spinning out of their grasps and toward the child and in doing so taking her kunai out to dig it into the child's head. She took her flail and swung, this time hitting the first infected in the head and knocking it into the second. The points sunk deep, but she jerked it free. Twisting back, she used her body weight to swing again, damaging the brain of the second Infected.

Tenten was beginning to feel overwhelmed. She looked around, seeing her teammates and other nin fighting- and being overcome by the legion of Infected….the children. They were the worst, because she couldn't even find one that wasn't infected.

More were coming at her. She jumped onto the shoulder of one and stuck a kunai in its head. Then she was running. Coming out of the court and toward the buildings, she jumped yet again on top another Infected, using it as leverage to reach the roof of a building. Turning around upon her landing, she took hold of the bow that had amazingly made it all this way, and loaded it. She took her aim directly below her, to the Infected she'd used to get up there, and sent an arrow through its head.

She wanted to be safe, to save herself. Naruto's passion was not enough to keep her down there. She could help from here. The living, where were the living? Spotting a young, brave girl backed into a corner on the street below, she eyed the Infected surrounding her. She drew the arrow back, took a deep breath, aimed. She let go, the arrow soared straight and strong through one skull, and then another. Two down. The girl continued to bravely fight off one, as more surrounded her. Tenten kept up her defense, quickly loading another arrow and taking down those surrounding her. All except the one she was fighting. Part of her wanted the girl to have the satisfaction of saving herself. Part of her was afraid she'd miss.

Growling below her grew loud and she shifted her vision to the ground below her. They'd spotted her; they wanted her. They were jumping and spitting and screaming in their disgusting way. She took a step back and glanced back at her girl. She felt the muscles in her face weaken and her stomach drop. She aimed; this was not a target she would miss. Its face was buried in the stomach of the girl. She was crying out, her voice joining in the death dance of the rest, indistinguishable among the agony of her fellow villagers. The target went down, just as another fell upon the scene.

Tenten's gaze went harsh, she drew in a sharp breath and tightened her jaw as she pulled her arrow back and sent it flying into the monster that just took a bit out of the girl's neck. As it fell she could see the girl was gone, the entirety of her anterior neck was gone. Gushing blood spilled out all around her.

All because Tenten had gotten distracted. "I'm sorry" She whispered. But she wasted no time in finding a new soul to act as guardian over.


	5. Just One Corner

He lifted himself up out of the rubble, stumbling, his head throbbing from the pain so much so that he could only barely conceive the pain that resonated throughout the rest of his body. His vision was blurry, making it difficult to discern the scene spread out before him of displaced stones, dirt, and boards that littered the ground in hapless ruins. Not that it was much to see. He would almost rather be blind. He felt like dying, but he knew that if he had survived this, then he needed to survive longer. He needed to save lives. First he would have to find his comrade, alive. He must be alive.

* * *

Kiba bore his teeth at the incoming Infected. His anger was cresting, becoming uncontainable. These monsters had murdered his dog. How could he fight without Akamaru? Every time he remembered his big pup, thinking of how much easier this would be with him, his anger grew more and he fought harder. He would avenge his best friend.

"Bring it on, dirtbags" Kiba snarled, brandishing his machete as he crouched. He launched forward, slicing off their heads as more closed in around him. He would not be over thrown. "You take my dog! You take my friends! And now you take my home?!" He screamed at them.

He elbowed one in the face, on accident, forcing him to come to the realization that maybe he couldn't win this battle. He was too vulnerable, he was outnumbered and all they had to do was get close enough to bite… They already were.

He concentrated his chakra to his feet and crouched down low, trying to get enough power to jump out of the crowd. A simple task. But the infected followed him down, knocking him over and trapping him on the ground.

He had a hand on one of their necks, trying to keep it a safe distance away from him all a while kicking and punching the others away as best he could. A set of teeth came around his forearm, ready to bite when an arrow shot right through its skull. No time to look and thank the archer, he continued to struggle to his feet as more arrows penetrated more skulls. His other arm finally free, he slashed his machete across the Infected at the end of this right hand.

Relieved of them, his eyes briefly searched his savior before more were on him. It was too much. He had had a close call already. He located a building and fought his way toward it. They were getting too close again, no matter how many he took down. He started running and then leapt onto a rooftop. He was breathing heavy, his heart rate double what it had ever been before. His eyes searched frantically for more survivors on the ground.

"Kiba!" he heard someone say above the ruckus. He couldn't make out the voice or where it was coming from. He shook his head, he was so lost, so confused. "Kiba!" It was closer now. He turned to his right.

"I don't think I have ever been so glad to see anyone in my life" He breathed, but he didn't smile. He didn't know how, his body was overloaded. His eyes did the thanking for him, they were bright, they couldn't stop staring at her to make sure she was real. Then he spotted her bow. "Tenten…. You saved my life. Thank you" Bending over, he rested his hands on his knees willing his heart to slow down and his breathing rate to subside.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're alive" Tenten said. She walked over and put a hand on his sweaty back, rubbing it briefly before returning to her bow.

"You have the right idea, you know" He said to her.

"Hn", She said, her eyes focused on a target and her arm drawn back, ready to fire.

'Jeez, she must have picked that up from Neji' Kiba thought, his eyebrow twitching as he straightened up. "Long distance attacks are definitely the way to go here. They'll take us over otherwise"

She let the arrow fly and drew again, not looking at him. "That's why I'm helping Sakura out"

"She needs to get up here. We need to make ourselves safe. I have an idea!"

"Shoot." Tenten said, letting another arrow fly.

"We need to announce for all survivors to make their way to high ground. Anything upstairs, Sakura said they can't climb those. Get off the streets and get upstairs. Then we can get out acts together, find some long rang weapons and start picking them off. Like you."

"I'm running out of arrows." Tenten said.

He looked at her, then at the scene below. He was silent. "Broadcasting won't work either, everyone is already doing that and no one is listening. It's just adding to the noise."

"Yep." Tenten said. "This is my last one." She said, firing the arrow into the skull of an Infected near Sakura. "She's a goner if we don't do something" Tenten said. She had set her mind on guarding Sakura, and she was going to guard her. She jumped down and rushed toward her.

"Wait!" He screamed after her. But it was too late, she was on the ground, they were swarming around her- following her as she ran to Sakura's aid.

He stood their, torn between self-preservation and morality. He looked around him, watching as shinobi fought against what should be their villagers and fellow ninja. He watched as they got eaten and torn apart. He saw little explosions and blood and heard screams. He stood and he watched from the safety of his rooftop. Some where on rooftops throwing kunai or kunai with explosive tags attached; and he just watched.

Naruto landed beside him, breathing hard. "I make a shadow clone and as soon as I make it, it" He breathed, "Poof" he motioned with his hands. He bent over to rest, "We… can't do this much longer"

"I know." Kiba said. He pulled out kunai and attached an explosive tag. "Long distance tactics will be our friend." Finding an area of many Infected, without living people, he threw the tag and exploded the Infected in the area.

"Woah! That's dangerous" Naruto said, "We don't want to kill the living with the dead."

"We won't" Kiba said, "We need to get to some place safe and come up with a plan. We need to regroup, find more survivors."

"Got it. Where are the rest of us?" Naruto was sad, Kiba could see it. He didn't want to give up now.

"Tenten ran after Sakura over there" He said, pointing straight ahead.

"SAKUUURA! TENTEEEEN!" Naruto yelled

Kiba grimaced. At first he was angry at the kid for damaging his eardrums, but then, what else where they going to do? "TENTEN! SAKURA! HEY COME ON! OVER HERE!" He joined in. He threw an explosive tag between himself and the girls, willing them not to come any closer until after it was set off.

The explosion rang out, scattering pieces of Infected that had been unfortunate enough to be in the way.

It caught the girls' attention and they watched as Tenten pulled Sakura's arm, catching her attention. They sprinted through the space cleared by the explosion and leapt atop the building. "Thank you" Tenten said, collapsing on the rooftop.

"We all survived" Sakura said, relieved.

"Yeah, us four." Kiba said, dejected.

Sakura looked like she was about to cry as she surveyed the area. The noise had been steadily dying down since they had started fighting only 15 minuets ago. "How long until it's silent?" she whispered.

No one answered.

"So…what is the plan?" Sakura said, "We can't stay here. And we can't let them… reproduce. They'll get everybody…and they'll get us. We still have friends out here! And families!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sakura" Naruto said softly, touching her shoulder.

She looked up into his kind blue eyes, searching them.

"You're family…", he swallowed, "I saw your parents…they're gone"

Her breath caught "No," She whispered, her cheeks turning red. She shook her head, her face distorting in pain. Tears started streaming out of her big green eyes and she cried out. "No! no, no, no. This…"

Naruto pulled her close and she buried her face in his shoulder. Their arms wound tight around each other as she sobbed, her body shaking. He closed his eyes tight, feeling her pain and trying to wish it away.

Kiba noticed Tenten fight back her own tears and turn around, facing the rest of the village. All of the fighting they did was just on one corner of the village. If it was this bad here, how bad was it in the center of the city, where the map he'd read stated the entry was?

He turned back to the others; Naruto was still holding Sakura, stroking her hair as she cried. "We should find a base, and then start looking for more survivors." He said quietly. "Here isn't safe. The longer we wait, the more that will surround us. Are you okay to move, Sakura?" He asked.

Their eyes moved to Sakura and Naruto. Sakura's body remained still, her head buried in Naruto's chest, but they could hear a faint indistinct whisper come from her lips.

"She says okay" Naruto announced quietly

"Okay great. Where do we go?" Kiba asked.

"Somewhere sheltered and off the ground" Tenten declared.

Kiba nodded, "And somewhere centrally located so that we don't have to go far supplies. We should be near markets for food and weapons."

"Sounds alright to me" Naruto agreed. He held Sakura out for a moment, looking into her eyes with concern and asking if she was ready. She nodded, taking a deep breath. Her arms dropped to her sides and she stood tall, blinking away her tears. "Let's do this," she said in a strong quiet voice.


	6. Safe Haven

They had traversed through the city by rooftop, heading for the market strip. Sakura was not tired physically, but her heart ached for her lost family. 'If only I had gotten here sooner' was a recurrent thought in her mind, not matter how much she tried to shake it. Naruto was kind… always so kind. She studied his back as he ran before her and shuddered to think of losing him as well. He was the only family she had left.

"Stop" Naruto said, coming to a halt on the rooftop ahead of her.

She and the others leapt over to him and gathered in a circle.

"We've made it to the market, now-" Naruto started.

"We can't stay too near here" Kiba cut him off, making eye contact with each of them. "The alleys are crawling with them. We should pick a place a block or two down, maybe on the left side where there are more apartments"

"I don't want to stay in an apartment, that's way too dangerous. There's probably infected trapped all inside those" Tenten argued.

Naruto scratched his chin at her remark, "What she said," He agreed.

"I think…" Sakura started, actually not sure what she thought, but deciding that the silence between them was far too much to handle with the sounds of the Infected below. There were still screams of terror going on that made her want go out and save every life, screw safety. "We need to be near here…and somewhere high, but not… how about the apartments above some of the stores? We would be still around all...this…but housing itself would be so safe!"

"We'd be surrounded on the outside…" Tenten remarked.

"But, we'd be near supplies. We would have to go through this no matter what if we wanted supplies. And besides, we can use rooftops to get around."

"Can we get on to the rooftop from inside of the apartment, though?" Tenten questioned.

"We'll find a way." Kiba countered. "It's a great idea, Sakura. Lead the way."

"One street over, almost to where you were talking about Kiba." She pointed to the left. "Across from the Yamanaka Flower Shoppe" It was a beautiful apartment she had always admired the architecture of when visiting her friend Ino at work. She pointed them to that one for precisely that reason, she had always wanted to live in it- or at least see the inside.

"Hopefully whoever lives there isn't around" Naruto said without thinking.

Tenten gave him a look, but said nothing and shook her head.

Crossing the street would prove difficult. Market streets were wide. Wide enough that I tired ninja would have trouble gathering enough chakra to cross by roof top.

"How do we get there?" Sakura thought aloud. Her voice was soft and carried through the air like vapor, condensing and fusing into their own thoughts as if they themselves had conjured her voice with mutual fear.

No one wanted to face the villagers they had sworn to protect. No one wanted to be near something so unknown and evil. No one wanted to become the fearsome monster. Who purposefully puts themselves in a danger they could otherwise avoid?

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned around and started walking away. The others turned to watch him. Kiba opened his mouth as if he was about to rebuke him for being a coward, but closed it as the blonde boy turned back around. He raised his blue eyes to the sky and took another deep breath before lowering his determined face, eyes set on the roof across the way. He readied his body, crouching low and forward, chakra pooling at his feet like fire, and launched onward, feet pounding the rooftop as he neared the edge. He sprung powerfully off of his left leg.

The team watched as he glided through the air…at a steadily declining angle. He wasn't going to land on the opposing rooftop. They watched Naruto reach up and out with his arm as he neared the side of the building.

Sakura held her breath.

Naruto slammed into the wall, his hands grasping the gutters of the roof. Infected growled and pulled at his legs. He scrabbled, trying to lift his legs out of the grasp and find a new grip for his hands as the gutter began to pull away from the rooftop. Pooling chakra into his finger tips he planted his hand on the slanted roof top and began to pull himself up, one Infected gripping his heel. He kicked the wall, dangling by his one hand. "Get off!" He screamed at it. It was too weak to pull its head up to his leg, so turned his attention away from it and continued trying to pull himself up. The Infected let go as it's feet started to leave the ground, too weak to hold on. "That was too close." Naruto breathed, collapsing on the rooftop. "Don't do what I did." He called out to them, but Kiba was already running.

Kiba's feet left the ground and his arms were soon on the roof, scrambling to find a hold before he started slipping off. Naruto grabbed his wrist just in time and helped him up. "One of them touched me!" Kiba exclaimed, rushing away from the edge. "I hate that! I hate them!" He ranted, eyes wide.

They returned their gaze to the women across the street. "Should we have them do something else?" Naruto asked, concerned they wouldn't make it across. "I mean, we barely made it."

"What else could we do? They're both strong women. They'll make it." Kiba said, waving Sakura on.

She began running; she leapt, powerfully off one leg.

"You're on her team, and yet you forget she has the most powerful chakra control out of anyone we know, besides Tsunade." Kiba spoke confidently.

Naruto watched surprised, as the girl landed before them, teetering on the edge. He grabbed her hand to steady her and pull her forward. She sat down between them, a smirk on her face. "Wasn't nearly as hard as you both made it look."

They grunted and turned from her, crossing their arms.

She laughed.

"One more," Kiba said, turning his gaze upon the lone Tenten.

"She's nervous; she says her chakra control has never been that great" Sakura said, keeping her eyes on her teammate. "You can do it, Tenten!" She shouted, hands cupped around her mouth. She saw Tenten ready herself and gaze steadily at her target, just as if she were facing an enemy. She ran and jumped determinedly.

They weren't sure she was going to make it.

They ran to the edge, just as one of her hands caught the gutter. She gasped, the gutter pulling free. She reached with her left hand, grabbing Naruto's arm as he took her wrist. The gutter pulled free, Kiba took hold of her hand just in time as Infected licked at her feet.

Tenten collapsed on the rooftop, "We're not doing that again. We're not doing that again" she resolved. "That was awful. I don't want to die" She wiped sweat from her brow and looked up Sakura, "Where to next?"

Sakura pointed across the next street over. The buildings on the other side of the street were taller, since they each had an apartment on the second floor. Her beautifully architected building stood flanked by another street and a slightly shorter building.

"There's no way we're jumping to that one." Tenten assessed. She didn't want anybody to even suggest such a thing.

"No, I suppose not." Sakura agreed, "I don't know what we're going to do about this one."

Surveying the area, Kiba found a telephone wire stretching from their row of buildings to the block before them. "You ready, Sakura?" He asked with a slight smirk on his face.

She looked at him skeptically, "Ready for what?" She dared ask.

He pointed to their left at the slim piece of wire. "You're the smallest and you have the best chakra control."

She gaped at him. "Excuse me?" She sputtered

"We need you to cross that wire to the other side." Kiba commanded.

"Who exactly is 'we'? I don't remember being consulted about this" Naruto argued, his eyes piercing Kiba's.

"He's right." Tenten butted in.

Naruto nodded appreciatively.

"No, Kiba's right." Tenten said, pointing toward him. Naruto growled and began to protest, but Tenten continued. "What other choice do we have? Do you see another way? We obviously can't stay here; we have to get over there. She has to test it out for us. See if it's stable enough for the rest of us to follow."

"Then why don't you shimmy across that wire?" Sakura said darkly.

Tenten looked startled, "You have a point." She breathed.

Just then, thunder clapped. They had been so caught up in the excitement of the day that they hadn't noticed the sky growing every so slowly dark since morning dawned. Rain began to fall in little scattered droplets, decorating the earth with its sprinkles.

In Konoha, thunderstorms were harsh. They came upon suddenly and severely. Lightning frequently struck towers, thunder shook the earth, and rain poured mercilessly. The whole charade would last hours on end.

Below them, Infected were breaking through windows to reach anyone who may be hiding out inside the buildings. Screams were heard, along with more sounds of shattering glass and overturned furniture.

The group clenched their jaws and refused to make eye contact. They knew they couldn't get down there without getting bitten, there were too many of them and they were too riled up.

"Can't we try something else?" Naruto pleaded. "We could launch her. She could run and-"

"None of us have enough chakra for that." Kiba cut him off sharply. "We haven't slept since the night before last and we've been running from and fighting off these damned things since last night and I can't even remember the last time I ate. I'm pretty sure you're all in that same boat. We are running out of energy, Naruto. We need to be done. And I'm sure we're all a little pissed off and would like to get some rest, so let's get this over with." He spoke in a spitting, yet commanding tone that none of them could argue with. In fact, none of them would- he was right about all of it.

"Let's get this over with," Sakura said, defeated.

"Is now really the best time?" Tenten said, now concerned.

They turned to look her. She hesitated before waving her hand toward the sky, "With the….lightning and everything. The wire will be wet…and what if someone makes a call? There's a crisis, you know? Maybe we should find another way."

"If we wait too long then there actually will be lightning for concern. These storms last for hours- we can't stay on the roof and be safe. We have to move now or never." Kiba declared.

Tenten's face still betraying her concern, she nodded and they walked on toward the wire. She squeezed Sakura's hand before her comrade faced her challenge. "Good luck," she whispered.

"I'll need it," Sakura breathed back. She set out resolutely toward the wire. With one foot planted on the tight cord, she glanced back to her comrades. Her face hardened, jaw locking and eyes unwaveringly set on her destination. Concentrating her chakra to her feet, she held her arms out and began the challenge. Rain pattered around her, rousing the predator's fury below, causing them to look up and catch notice of her.

Her comrades watched in heightened fear as the Infected's attention turned to Sakura. Their bodies began to move like a large mass being pressed in on both sides as they gathered beneath Sakura's small frame.

"Just don't look down, Sakura" Kiba breathed.

Their arms reached for the unattainable. Their unnerving voices carried through the air with frustration. They trampled over each other. They growled. They slobbered.

Sakura held her breath as she saw the end drawing nearer. Her muscles tensed as her brought her foot down on the solid rooftop. Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes to her fellow teammates. She waved an arm.

Kiba's eyes landed on Tenten. "Go." He told her.

Tenten swallowed, knowing she had never been the best at chakra control. That's why she's a weapon's specialist and not a med-nin.

"You can do it, Tenten!" Naruto said, holding a thumbs up and sporting his cheese smile.

She smiled at him before turning to the cord. She couldn't raise her gaze above a few feet ahead of her. Doing the best she could to concentrate her chakra, she began her trek. The storm was picking up. In the distance she heard thunder. She tried to drown it out and focus on her balance. She was doing okay for now. Wind began to blow around her, messing up her balance. She leaned forward over the wire and continued, hoping she was close but remaining unwilling to look up. Just below the rope she could make out blurry images of Infected rustling around.

Abruptly, the wind and the rain picked up at just the same moment. She felt her body tip, her eyes widened as her vision took in the sky rather than the cord. Her feet were no longer where they should be. Suddenly she saw the cord before her vision, quickly becoming further away. She reached out with both hands, her right hand missed. Luckly, she felt her left hand wrap itself around her refuge. The infected filled the streets. She couldn't help but notice them from here. She faced them in her vulnerability. They saw her and they were rushing. A breath forced itself from her lungs and she tore her eyes away from the scene. She focused in on the wire, bringing her right hand up to grab it.

Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. They were running out of time. If she didn't hurry Naruto and Kiba wouldn't make it. Something bumped her foot. Quickly, she curled her body up, wrapping her legs around the wire. She would shimmy. She spared a glance down as she continued moving. Crazed, yellow eyes met hers and she turned her head back abruptly.

"Almost there, Tenten! Watch your head!"

Just then her head knocked into the wall, sending furious pain through her skull and neck. She swung around and climbed up. Turning around she saw Kiba running at the rope. "What is he doing?!" She gasped.

"He's determined." Sakura said, a small smile tugging at her lips although her eyes betrayed her fear.

In moments he was there. Beside them, breathing hard and eyes wild.

Tenten couldn't help but brighten up when his eyes met hers. "You are crazy. I'm impressed."

He gave her an exhausted smile and thumbs up

"That shouldn't have worked." Sakura remarked.

"Yeah, I know" He agreed, running his hand through his hair. "But we were running out of time"

Naruto was shimmying across the wire in much the same way Tenten had finished her turn. He was doing it quickly as the rain had begun to pour in thousands of large droplets. The wire was becoming much to slippery; more than once they saw his hands slip and his torso descend quickly toward those who wish to dine with it.

When they had all made it safely to the other side, they made their way to the balcony.

"Hopefully no one is….undead in there." Sakura breathed, reaching for the sliding glass door. Drapes hung over the opening, shading their vision to the inside.

"We'll check every room." Kiba said.

"Be careful, everyone." Naruto warned.

Sakura pulled the slid the door open. Kunai ready in one hand, she abruptly swung the drapes aside. They weren't prepared for what they saw.

A higher pitched growl than the ones they hadn't realized they'd gotten used to hearing arose in the room. Their eyes locked on two small children and a woman, all infected. The undead pounced forward. Sakura jumped to the side, dodging the woman and her grasp. In a flash Naruto appeared before her, slashing the head off the woman's shoulder. It thumped to the ground, its eyes fixed upon them in anger as it's mouth stretching open in a furious attempt to rip open their flesh.

Sakura's breathing hitched, "Why is it-"

Naruto let out a frustrated yell as he smashed his foot down on the woman's head, crushing her skull. Sakura could just make out a wet gleam on his cheeks before he turned toward the rest of the room.

Tenten was standing on top of a tall counter separating the living room from the kitchen, she had a kunai in one hand, stretched in front of her, but Sakura could tell she didn't want to use it. Her eyes were wide with a confusion, frustration, sadness. Below her was a small child, arms outstretched toward her, hissing. The child grabbed one of the barstools, intending to climb toward it's prey. Tenten's foot came down, knocking the chair over. She looked around, making eye contact with Sakura for a brief moment. Her eyes showed her terror; they were blurry with tears.

"What do we do?" Naruto whispered.

Kiba let out a frustrated yell. His hands gripped the hair on either side of a young girl about 5 years old. She was gripping his arms, tearing at his skin. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, his eyebrows narrowed. She was twisting, growling, trying futilely to bite his wrists. In a quick moment he let out a growl before twisting her head quickly in his hands, breaking her neck.

The girl's body collapsed to the floor with a sickening thump, her head turned awkwardly. Kiba's knees weakened and he dropped beside her, feeling defeated despite bringing down an Infected.

Tenten's focus had drifted to Kiba, along with the child's attention below her. It had lost interest in Tenten and was rushing toward him with a furious growl. Forgetting the nature of the Infected below her, all she could register was the danger of comrade. "No!" She launched from the table, her feet landing just a step behind the little boy. One of her arms wrapped around the top of the boy's head, the other took a kunai across his neck, slashing it open. Her eyes locked on Kiba's, both sharing the same feelings of hopelessness, shame, fear.

A growing growl was still emulating off of the child in her arms.

"You have to get its brain." A defeated voice said from the other side of the room, Naruto.

She couldn't control it anymore. Tears fell from eyes in streams. She screamed, throwing the boy away from her. He charged back anyway, his head wobbling on his shoulders, off balancing him. He fell over and she stretched forward, thrusting the kunai in his head. She laid there, hand still grasped around the kunai sticking out of his head and sobbed.

Another small growl was heard and a pitiful sound escaped Kiba's mouth as he realized the girl's brain had not been damaged. He had paralyzed her body but she was still….'alive'. Weakly he reached for his kunai and held it out above her head. He brought it down with force, blood splashed up from her skull. He dropped his hand and bowed his head. His shoulders were shaking.

Naruto and Sakura approached their comrades. Sakura gently took Tenten's hand off the kunai to remove it from the boy's head. She took the child in her arms and dragged it from the room toward the balcony where she toppled it off the rail. Shortly after, Naruto came with the little girl. They had already removed the woman's body.

They returned to find the other two just as they had left them on the floor.

Naruto walked up to Kiba and took him by the shoulder to raise him up.

Kiba looked into his eyes, "They're children. Innocent…civilian…children" He choked out.

Naruto dropped his gaze, "I know." He whispered. "but those where no longer innocent children. They weren't human any longer. We can't view them for who they were" He said, returning his blue eyed gaze to Kiba. Tears blurred his eyes, but the convincing intensity remained. "We have to stay strong."

Kiba squeezed the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut to push back the tears. "Yeah." He looked toward the kitchen. "Let's find food."

The boy's browsed the kitchen and cooked up some ramen while Tenten remained laying on the floor, facing the ceiling. She had just murdered a child.

"Tenten, you should eat with us." Sakura said softly.

"Our village…it's gone, isn't it?" Tenten said, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"We don't know for sure….we've only seen-"

"Enough to know it's doomed." Kiba finished, walking up with two bowls of ramen. He handed one to Sakura and set the other by Tenten on the floor. "Tenten's right." He said, walking back to grab his own bowl while Naruto sat at the bar devouring his own large bowl. "This is a beginning of something new. Something we're entirely unprepared for. We'll have to adapt to living completely in survival mode and start seeing civilians …children…" He closed his eyes tightened his jaw, "what used to be civilians and children, as something other than human. Our lives have taken a new turn."

Naruto slowed down his pace and looked around the room. "We're going to make it. And we'll find others. We're not alone. These things aren't going to take over if I have anything to do with it!" He proclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table, splashing his ramen on the counter.

Kiba sighed and grabbed a paper towel, cleaning up the mess.

"How long will we stay here?" Sakura asked.

"As long as we have to," Kiba said. "I'm going to check to make sure this place is secure." He said and left the room. He returned a few moments later. "The only doors out of here are to the balcony and this one," He said gesturing to the door next to the kitchen on the far wall, "Which leads to the store downstairs. Never open it. In fact, Naruto, Move the fridge in front of that door if you can. Everywhere else looks fine. I'm going to sleep; you should all do the same." He collapsed on to the couch and closed his eyes.

Sakura looked around, feeling lost. Tenten wasn't moving from her spot, but Sakura didn't want to sleep on the floor and she didn't want to go anywhere alone. She stood up to help Naruto move the fridge. "Will the cord even stretch that far?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's only a few feet from the door anyway." Naruto said as they pushed it to block the passageway.

"Well, goodnight Sakura." Naruto said, finding his way to the master bedroom.

Sakura remained lonely in the kitchen, overwhelming feelings of loneliness clouding her mind. She tried not to think of her parents and how she had just become an orphan. She tried not to think of how she was also now homeless, her entire village ransacked by a disease. She poured a glass of milk, securing herself in knowing that it would go bad soon if no one drank it. "Tenten?"

"Hn."

"Are you going to stay there all night? There's beds…"

Silence. Sakura thought she may have heard a small unintelligible sound from the girl, but took it as she didn't care. Sakura had never hurt a child before- especially not on top of a crisis. She let the other girl deal with the situation in her own way and decided she would deal with hers in her way. She would not be alone. And she would not sleep on the floor. Sakura made her way to the master bedroom where she found Naruto sound asleep and climbed in to bed beside him.


End file.
